Portal Fanfic with no idea what to call itself
by Clockwork-Core
Summary: Hey, everyone! Sorry for the extremely long hiatus, but school and stuff got in the way, and I couldn't write the story... Anyways, I'm back, so now we can get back to testing- Uh,- I mean, writing. Yeah, writing!
1. Chapter 1

Avery, although she preferred "Clockwork," was working on a project. She started to remember the last thing she saw before he left;

When he was around, he was slightly insane. She helped him anyways. She helped him find the tests, she helped him make franken-turrets. She helped him do everything, even speed-run tests. But, Chell made him leave, made the _only thing _Avery could call 'friend' get banished to another planet.

Avery missed that core, she missed him so much. It was all her fault. That Chell girl, she placed that portal on the moon. It was all Chell's fault, a lie she was forced to believe. It was all she knew. The only things she knew, kindness, hospitality, were ripped from her, like him from Chell's grasp. And Avery hated it. She hated all of it. If only she held on.

Avery looked like an average 19-year-old, although the truth was far from that. Her disheveled blonde hair was held back with a gray gear-patterned headband. Her metallic bronze eyes were close to tears. She continued to work at a slightly faster pace. She had on a gray T-shirt, long stained with oil and grime from machines. Her jeans were faded and worn, with large holes on the knees. A pair of headphones covered her ears.

"You're still working. You know he won't come back," the familiar robotic voice urged.

"I can still try, GLaDOS," Avery tended to ignore GLaDOS, why go back to painful memories.

"I will not let that moron come back."

"For the nine-millionth time, he's not a moron."

"He was a distraction."

"He's more human than you'll ever be, he's perfect."

"Then, why did he leave you here?"

"Because I told him to."

GLaDOS made a noise like a laugh. "You told him to go to space."

"Shut it, Potato."

And that was the end of that.


	2. Chapter 2

Avery's project was a satellite. A retrieval satellite. Avery was putting the finishing touches on it when she got an odd signal on her Aperture Brand ipad ripoff.

"Hello? Hello?" said a voice Avery hadn't heard in forever.

Static. Avery stopped working. She looked at the touchscreen in confusion. A brief flash of space was on the screen.

"Is this on? Hey, if anyone hears this-"

Static. The image disappeared.

"Okay? Well, to repeat, I said-"

Static. Her regular screensaver of the Aperture Logo turned back on.

_Was it him? No, it couldn't be. But, it sounded so similar..._

No. Avery pushed the thought out of her mind. The satellite was ready to launch. That's what mattered.

"GLaDOS?" Avery asked.

"What now?" GLaDOS replied, sounding bored, as usual.

"Can I go outside for a little?" Avery continued.

"Why? If I let you outside, you'll escape."

"I wouldn't leave without my tools," Avery set her tools on the table.

"Fine." and with that, a tube came out of the ceiling. Avery grabbed her launch materials and was swept up into the tube. "You better not try to escape."

The light of The Outside blinded Avery for a moment, then her eyes adjusted. She hadn't seen The Outside for decades. She didn't enjoy being out, GLaDOS knew that, and she knew Avery wouldn't escape. She shot up her satellite and jumped back into the tube.

"Back so soon?" GLaDOS' sarcastic voice echoed through the facility.

Avery grabbed the Aperture Brand ipad ripoff from her worktable and turned it on. She piloted the satellite to the moon, and then switched to first-person mode. She immediately looked for the core.

"Hello?" the same voice from the radio asked.

Avery spotted the core and continued to pilot the satellite to him. A mechanical claw extended and grabbed the core's bars.

"Augh! Wait! What are you doing?!"

The core was then put inside the satellite, and Avery brought the core back to our atmosphere. A parachute unfolded, and the satellite and core had a safe landing. The satellite landed in the same tube Avery traveled through. In a few moments, the satellite fell onto her worktable.

"Ha!" Avery laughed. "It worked! I can't believe it worked!"

"Where am I? Who are you?" the core asked.

"Oh yeah! See, it's been quite a while since I've seen you, so you probably don't remember my voice." The core was removed from Avery's satellite. He gasped.

"Avery? Is that you? But, you sacrificed-"

"My freedom, yes. I remember that."

"Am I back- Oh God, no. Please don't tell me I'm back there."

"It's better than space."

"But, her! She'll kill me if she finds me here!"

"That's why I'm getting us out of here."

"GLaDOS! She's gonna kill me!"

"No, not the way I'm doing it." Avery looked confident, but a glimmer of doubt was still in her mind.


	3. Chapter 3

"How are you doing it, exactly?" Wheatley asked.

"I have absolutely no idea." Avery's voice was dead serious as she rummaged through the organized chaos of her room.

Wheatley's pupil shrank. "D-do you really mean that?" He was slightly shaking.

"Of course not. I always have a plan- Ah! There it is!" She pulled something out of a pile of inventions.

"Oh, thank goodness. I thought you actually meant it! I really fell for it! Ha, you're quite the joker, you know-"

"Okay, listen. I destroyed all her cameras and microphones in here, so she can't hear or see us. I still want you to be as quiet as possible. I'm going to give you an upgrade. I need to move your personality core to the new upgrade, then, if she finds us, I can throw the old body away. She'll never know it's you if you don't speak."

"Throw the old me away? Wait, is this safe? Whoa, wait, wait, what are you doing?! No! What are you going to do to me?! Hey! Answer m-"

Avery turned Wheatley off, muttering something like; "That was one thing I didn't miss."

Quickly and efficiently, she deconstructed Wheatley. She removed the personality core, a small black box, and replaced it with another. Avery moved the personality core to her 'something,' easily fitting Wheatley's personality into the 'something'.

The 'something' was an android Avery started working on right after he left a good four years ago. It had messy blonde hair, (courtesy of Avery, she cut her own hair for it, and by now it had grown back) and the same Wheatley-Blue eyes. It had slightly pale synthetic skin, and wore a light blue business shirt Avery hand-made for it. It had on gray slacks that were also hand-made, and white sneakers that looked like the 10th Doctor's. (Yes, she's a Whovian.) A neatly ironed, deep blue, tie was wrapped around its neck.

She turned the android on. The android, now Wheatley, blinked sleepily, then his eyes opened wide.

"Oh God, what did you do to me?!" Wheatley asked, looking at himself, then at Avery, who forced a smile.

"It's an upgrade?" Avery tried, her voice getting higher as she spoke.

"An upgrade?" Wheatley looked ready to slap Avery across the face, if only he knew how. "This is an upgrade? How am I supposed to use these?" He looked at his new arms and legs in confusion.

"Oh yeah, guess I hoped you already knew how to walk. Well, since that flew out the window, I guess I can teach you! Oh, this'll be fun!"

About 6 hours later, he could actually walk.


	4. Chapter 4

Avery gave up and grabbed Wheatley's hand. "You really are a moron." She joked.

"Hey! I am _not _a moron!" Wheatley cried out, defensively.

"I know. I was there. You didn't pick up on my sarcasm."

"Oh."

"Yeah, moron."

"I thought we just went through that! I'm not a moron!"

Avery put her hand to her face. "Ugh."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what? Just run. Don't talk, just run."

The two ran out of Avery's room, following the rail that led to the surface. Avery had packed Wheatley's old body in an old backpack she brought when she first started her internship at Aperture. When the pair were nearly halfway, GLaDOS asked;

"And where exactly do you think you're going? And who's this new tester?" The two stopped running.

Wheatley started to respond. "Whea-"

"Outside." Avery cut him off. "And he's something I built."

"Did I hear that little moron? I told you, he's not coming back." GLaDOS continued.

"You mean this?" Avery pulled out Wheatley's old body.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Wheatley asked fearfully.

Avery tossed the old body off the rail. A minute later, they heard it shatter.

"You just killed him?" GLaDOS was shocked.

"I was just doing it first. I hope I didn't shatter your plans." Avery snidely remarked.

GLaDOS was silent. Avery and Wheatley continued running.

"Why did you do that?!" Wheatley whispered.

"I had to fool her. Please, don't speak, I can't throw you over the edge. Mainly because; 1: You're too heavy. And 2: I couldn't live with myself if I knew I had killed you." Avery replied, whispering also.

Wheatley stopped for a moment, looking at Avery in confusion and admiration. _She would do that for me? Even after all I've done? _Wheatley thought.

"Please, don't make me feel bad that I never saved you. I've managed to forget for nearly four years, and I'd prefer not to relive the pain." Avery continued. "Because it's hard enough trying to save you now. I don't need one hundred pounds of guilt weighing me down."

Wheatley tried to speak, but words failed him. He couldn't believe she still cared for him, even after how monstrous he acted, she still cared.

She turned to look at him, and noticed he'd stopped. "Come on, Wheatley. I still have to cheat death and save you." She held out her hand.

Wheatley just looked at her. Avery tilted her head. "Is something wrong?" She asked.

"You still care?" He managed.

"What are you talking about?" She replied.

"After all I did? You still care?"

"I never stopped caring. I worked on saving you for four years, and I never stopped until I had you back."

"But, I was such a monster. How could you even like me?"

"Corruption can take away anyone's heart, but if you take away the source, the corrupt one returns to normal."

"How did you know?"

"I watched Caroline change."

"Who?"

"The same thing that wants to kill us."

"GLaDOS?"

"All of the cores were human, once."


	5. Chapter 5

Wheatley was shocked. _GLaDOS was human? All the cores were... human? Then, who was I?_

"Who was I?" Wheatley accidentally said.

"Yes."

"You were so, so amazing. You were so kind, and funny. Everyone down here always found you funny, like a comedian." Avery was starting to tear up. "Then, one day, Cave asked for you, and you never came back." She felt tears falling, washing away all of the grime on her face. "Everyone thought you had been fired or that you quit, but I built the core you were put into, as part of my internship, so I knew what happened. I knew what happened to Morgan; morality core, Sweet little Lucy, one of the other worker's daughters, who ended up as curiosity, Anger was a dog, not a person, Logic was a scientist named Logan, Rick was adventure, Fact was a man named Justin, and space was a young boy named Kevin."

Wheatley looked ready to cry also.

"Why are you sad? You should be happy." Avery asked.

"Space core, he was hit by some space debris, and he shattered."

Avery's expression changed from sad to shocked, then back to sad. "I'm so sorry."

Wheatley let out a sigh.

Avery took his hand, and then, out of instinct, she hugged him. After a moment of surprise, Wheatley hugged her back. It was odd hugging a robot, but Avery didn't care. She had survived alone for so long, she needed someone who cared enough to know her.

Avery muttered a few lines of her favorite song, which she had made a parody of in her time alone;

"_You're the king of the facility and I'm a subject of yours.  
We were friends right from the start, that from fate got torn apart.  
I will try to protect you from everything that hurts,  
And I'll do as you'll say, even the evil way."_

"How touching. No, really, I'm crying." GLaDOS commented. Avery went stiff.

"Oh, God, no. Oh, please please please no," Avery silently cried.

"I knew you'd never kill him." GLaDOS continued. "You and I are smarter than that. You would do anything to save the little moron. I know that."

"But I bet she never knew, I will always try to save you. If she's calling you evil, I know someone like you. I am evil, I'll take blame, 'cause you and I are just the same." Avery whispered a few more lines into Wheatley's ear.

"You don't have to do this. Please, don't." Wheatley begged Avery.

Avery walked away from Wheatley, glancing momentarily back, then yelled at GLaDOS, "Take your anger out on me. I brought him back. This is my fault, not his. Just let him go free."

GLaDOS replied, "You are a better subject. You are the only human left, anyways. I guess I can use you."

All of a sudden, a panel slammed through the rail Avery was standing on, and it lifted her up and out of the room. As she was transported, Wheatley saw her tear-filled face smile.

"Go on. I'll be here." Avery said.


	6. Chapter 6

(AUTHOR NOTE: Hia! Okay, I'm splitting the story into **Avery View** and **Wheatley View**. I will put who's view on the first line of the story. Also, this is a short chapter, because I need to introduce **Wheatley View**. K! See ya!)

**Avery View**

Avery watched as Wheatley turned and ran. _He's going to be fine, right?_ she thought as she looked at the new 6' tall Wheatley. She was used to being somewhat tall, at 5' 9", so she enjoyed it, being smaller than someone.

"Don't look back, please. Never look back. I'll find you. Just run." she called.

_Please be safe. Please, I want you to be safe. I can't help you, so stay safe. _She wanted that so bad. _If he got hurt, where would I go? What would I do? How could I know that in sacrificing myself, I had saved him?_ The thoughts rattled in her head. She glanced back, and saw Wheatley running towards the door. _See you on the other side, Wheats. I'll find you._

"Hm... I was planning a surprise for the little moron. I'll just rearrange." GLaDOS thought out-loud, "Here, this will suit you perfectly."

An elevator lowered from the ceiling. Avery jumped the rail into the elevator. "Make this quick. I have a date." she sarcastically remarked as the doors closed.

"Well, I suppose that date is _cancelled._"

"Don't count on it."

Avery assumed she was going to a test, but as she descended, deeper and deeper, she realized this was no test. _Where is she taking me? The only thing this far down is... Android Hell._

"Where are we going?" she asked, scared of the answer.

"Where do you think?" GLaDOS replied.

"A place where it burns the broken turrets."

"Good, you're smart. Much more than him."

_Oh no._


	7. Chapter 6 Continued

(AUTHOR NOTE: Johnathan is my friend irl. He gives me tons of good advice for this series. Thanks, Johnathan!)

**Wheatley View**

Wheatley ran. _Why does she always leave me? Why does she sacrifice herself? I can't make it out there, alone. Why does she leave me?_ he thought.

Her voice interrupted his thoughts. "Don't look back, please. Never look back. I'll find you. Just run."

_Don't go, don't leave me alone! Please, let me help you! I don't want you to leave! Come on! We were meant to escape together..._

Chell. He'd wanted the same thing when she was around. Why did everyone he meet leave him or want him dead? _Am I that unlikable? Does everyone hate me? Why do they all hate me? Why?_

He neared the open door. As he stepped outside, the door closed behind him. Wheatley turned.

"What? Agh! The door! Avery!" He pounded on the door. "Avery! Are you okay? Avery!"

No answer. He thought he heard GLaDOS say something, but it was too muffled to tell.

"Avery!"

Wheatley slumped against the door, holding his head in his hands. He wanted to cry, he wanted everything to be okay. If only he could cry. He wasn't able to. _Come out, please. I don't know if you're okay. Just, give me a sign that you're okay._

"Hey! What's wrong?" A male voice was heard.

Wheatley raised his head

"Huh? Who are you?" Wheatley asked.

A boy with brown hair walked up. He looked about 17, with brown eyes and a black long-sleeved shirt. He had on an odd, puffy, sleeveless jacket. Wheatley didn't know the use for it. The boy had black sweatpants and a pair of sneakers.

"I'm Johnathan! What's your name?" the boy answered.

"Wheatley."

"Cool name! Anyways, what's wrong?"

Wheatley didn't know how to respond. He decided to tell the truth.

"You see, my friend is trapped in there, and I'm worried for her. I don't know if she'll be okay. I don't know what to do. I don't know anything." Wheatley explained, leaving out the whole "I'm a robot" part.

"Trapped? Should I call 911?" Johnathan asked.

"No, they won't help. Even if they could, they wouldn't get very far."

"What do you mean?"

"Evil AI controls the place. I've escaped, but in doing so, she sacrificed herself to it."

"Are you joking?"

"No."

Johnathan was silent. Then he spoke. "Why were you there?"

"I was built there."

"Built?"

"I'm a robot." _Ugh, why did I say that? I'm such a moron._

"What? How?"

Wheatley felt so annoyed at himself. _Now how am I going to show him? _"I worked there and they turned me into a robot. Okay? Then, my friend made me into this." Wheatley gestured at himself.

"Cool."

"Cool? I've suffered so much, and you think... it's cool?"

"What? No! I don't mean it like that!"

Wheatley sighed.

"I've barged in, sorry. You know what? I'll just- um -get going!" Johnathan walked away.


	8. Chapter 7

(Author note: I did both views. I'm a rebel. Yay. Ugh, I'm getting so tired.)

**Avery View**

Avery started to pound on the elevator's glass doors. "What are you thinking? Why are you doing this? Stop!"

"Stop? Why, I don't think so." GLaDOS laughed. "It's been fun. Don't come back."

The door was shattered. The sounds of Anger Cores filled the room. Avery tried to block the glass, getting cut and bruised. "Stop! Agh! Stop!"

"Goodbye."

Avery stepped out of the elevator, and collapsed. _Why did I do this- _Agh -_I need help. Help me. Please. Help._

She blacked out.

When she regained consciousness, her whole body stung. Slowly, she picked out all the glass shards that hit her. The room was so warm, it nearly burned.

"Hey, can you hear me?" a turret called.

Avery cried, as the tears evaporated from her face. She felt so worthless, so helpless, so afraid.

**Wheatley View**

Wheatley leaned against the door, waiting for her. It was getting dark, and he wondered. _Will you ever come out? Are you okay? Where are you? I miss you. Please, where are you? I'm confused. Come back._

He watched as the moon began to rise. It had been just hours ago that he was up there. She had saved him, again. She always saved him, no matter the cost. Her freedom, her life, her humanity, she would still save him. _But, what would happen if she wasn't there to save me?_ The thought terrified him.

He looked at the newly appearing stars._ They are here too? I get nothing but pain._ He only wanted her to be there to guide him. He sighed and turned away from the door. Wheatley stood up, and began to walk to the end of the clearing. The facility was atop a small hill. Wheatley sat on the edge, continuing his stargazing.

_I miss you._

**Avery View**

Avery tried to stand, and barely managed. Examining her wounds, she walked towards the door. She gently put her hand up to the door, and sighed.

_I miss you._

Avery slowly attempted to hack the door, yet, all she could think about was him. She thought about how she had saved him, twice. There was one time she didn't save him. It still made her cry. The moon was there, and it caused this all. If only it hadn't been shown. He would've been free. This never would have happened. She wouldn't be so alone and scared. She would be with him.

The door began to open, and Avery smiled.

_I'll be there soon, Wheatley. Just a little while, now. I'll be back._

She stepped through the door, embracing the sudden cool. It was so wonderful. She ran up the stairs with newly found determination. Avery continued to run, enjoying the cool, calm, and quiet catwalk. She didn't care if she was caught, it just felt so good.

After a while of running, Avery found the door that would bring her back to him. She started to unbolt the door.

As she finished, she pushed the door outwards. It landed with a loud 'thump.' She cautiously entered the moonlit field.

"Wheatley?"


	9. Chapter 8

(Author note: NO MORE VIEWS)

**Wheatley View**

"Wheatley?"

"Avery? Avery!" Wheatley ran towards the door, then stopped as he saw her.

She was very bloody, and looked very pale. Her blonde hair was slightly cut in some places, and her clothes had large rips.

"Avery? Oh God, what happened to you?"

"GLaDOS happened. Sent me to Android Hell."

Wheatley gasped.

Avery shakily laughed. "Eh, it's okay. Could've been worse. The elevator's door exploded. I'm fine."

"Agh! You look terrible!"

"I'm fine." she persisted. "C'mon, let's get away from this place."

"Okay." and Wheatley hugged her. "Stop saving me, you make me worried. I don't know if you'll be safe."

"I made an oath."

"You almost died."

"Can't break my oath."

"You'll get killed."

"I won't care, as long as I keep you safe."

**Avery View**

Although startled by the hug, Avery was generally relaxed. She was out of that evil place. She was free.

"We need to go. GLaDOS won't think I've died."

"But, where are we supposed to go? We don't know anything about here."

"_You_ have an apology to make."

She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the bottom of the hill.


	10. Chapter 9

"Hey!" Wheatley protested as Avery dragged him down the hill, "What do you think you're doing? Let me go!"

"It's easier this way. You can barely take five steps before falling off the side of this thing."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're clumsy."

"Wha-? I am not! Just _try_ getting used to new appendages!"

"I got used to legs, you will too."

"When?"

"When I was two years old."

Wheatley was furious. "Two years?"

"I was a child, my mind hadn't fully developed yet. Heck, I didn't know what trees were!"

"What are those?"

Avery face-palmed.

Wheatley was defeated, and stopped arguing.

The pair finally wandered into a nearby town at mid-day. Avery finally let go of Wheatley's hand, and he started shaking it, looking angry. Avery rolled her eyes and continued walking.

She walked up to one of the citizens, and asked, "Hello! Does an, um, Chell live here?"

"Who are you? And, why do you want to see her?"

Wheatley recognized the citizen. "Johnathan?"

Johnathan turned, "Wheatley? Is this your friend? You saved her?"

"Yes, yes, and no. She saved herself. Anyways, where is Chell?"

"You know him?" Avery questioned.

"Yes, long story." Wheatley replied.

"Eh, Chell's over at this cute bakery, something like 'Sweet Treats Bakery.' Glad to help."

"Thanks." Wheatley and Avery said in unison.

"No problem." Johnathan walked away.

The pair continued into the bakery. They immediately saw Chell working on a beautiful cake. Chell was wearing a flour-coated tank top, and icing covered sweatpants. She looked up.

"Hey, can I help you?" she asked, looking at the blushing Wheatley, who was surprised she could even talk.

"Okay, you have a _lot_ of explaining to do." Avery told Wheatley, before pushing him forward.

"Uh... Hi? I'm Wheatley... I looked a bit different when we met..." Wheatley started.

"Wheatley?" Chell dropped the bag of icing she was holding. "Y-you came back?"

"Er... yeah." Wheatley explained the whole story to Chell.

Chell turned white. She ran into the back, and returned with her Long-Fall-Boots.

"Oh God, after all this time... I thought it was over..." Chell murmured.


	11. Chapter 10

"Okay, you've said 'sorry' and everything so, we need a place to stay." Avery commented.

Both heads turned to Avery.

Avery threw her hands up. "What? I was just stating the obvious."

"Are all of you insane?" Chell whispered to Wheatley.

"Just us." Wheatley replied.

"Hey! I _can_ hear you, you know. I may be crazy, but I'm not deaf!" Avery cried.

Chell sighed. "Fine, stay."

"Thanks." Avery said.

The two explained all of their journey, which took until sundown. Avery walked outside, and sat down, looking at the setting sun. She sighed. _How many years had I been down there?_ Avery wondered. She had been 16 when she began her internship. They had put her in suspension for somewhere around 40 years, somehow keeping her age the same. Then, she finally woke up, and broke out. Avery started fixing all the panels. When she was starting on GLaDOS' chamber, she met him. He had just been crushed, and within a few minutes, she fixed him. She remembered that much.

"Avery?" Wheatley asked, making her jump.

"Ah! Oh, how long have you been standing there?"

"Five minutes." Wheatley sat down next to her.

Avery blushed. _Stop zoning out,_ she told herself.

"Anyways, thanks for saving me from space."

"No problem. I was just thinking about something, how long have we been down there?"

"I have no idea but, it had to have been a long time."

"Yeah." Avery paused, "You know, the sky kinda reminds me of you. The shade of blue, it's nearly yours, and the sun reminds me of her."

"I guess, I never looked at it that way."

Wheatley and Avery watched the dark blue sky fade to black.

Avery turned to Wheatley. "This can't last forever. I wish it could, but she'll find us. We would have to keep running, for the rest of our lives."

"Maybe that isn't so bad." Wheatley replied.

"Maybe, but I'd rather just stay somewhere. We'd get tired eventually, then she'd take us back to that horror-show of a facility."

"Then, what would we do?"

"For once, I don't know." Avery sighed. She closed her eyes, still holding her head up to the sky.

Wheatley looked at her in surprise. He had never seen her without a plan, and her admitting she didn't have one, shook him. She looked so vulnerable in the moonlight yet, she looked relaxed. With an evil robot tracking them, he didn't know how she could be so calm. She could just sit there, even with the threat of getting dragged back into the facility, and not be worried.

"To tell you the truth," Avery muttered, "I'm terrified. I really am scared. Let's not live in the past or future, though. Let's just live in the present. This is probably the best time I've ever had, so let's just enjoy it, please."

The pair relaxed in the pale moonlight. Avery reached out, and held Wheatley's hand.

"Don't worry right now. This is our time to just be calm, I suppose. We can worry tomorrow." Avery smiled.

Wheatley smiled back, although he was worried.


	12. Chapter 11

After a while, Chell called Avery and Wheatley to come inside. The pair were still thinking about the world they had just escaped from. Avery yawned and told Wheatley how to go into sleep mode, before falling asleep on the rug.

"You really wore her out." Chell said to Wheatley, then left the room to get some rest.

Wheatley activated sleep mode, falling asleep on the couch.

**Avery's Dream**

"Huh? Where am I?" Avery asked, standing up. She looked around, and saw the white panels.

"No, no! I-I escaped! This can't be! No!" Avery pounded on the nearest panel. "Let me out! Please, let me go!" She screamed, but it was no use. A mechanical claw appeared out of a panel, and reached out to grab her.

"No! Stop this- agh- please, stop this! This can't be real!" She tried to remove the panel, but her tools were gone. She cried out as the claw grabbed her by the waist, and started to bring her up to GLaDOS.

GLaDOS seemed to smile. "You can never escape."

**End Dream**

Avery awoke, sitting bolt upright. She saw Wheatley in sleep mode on the couch, and sunlight streamed in. Avery let out a sigh of relief. She woke up Wheatley shakily. Wheatley's deep blue eyes began to illuminate, then dimmed to a normal state.

"H-hey, Wheats. Rise and shine." Avery muttered.

Wheatley looked at her pale face. "What happened?"

"Nightmare, don't worry about it."

"Oh."

"Let's see if Chell's up. "

Avery helped Wheatley up, and they went to the back of the bakery. There was a bedroom, which they assumed was Chell's. Avery opened the door, showing a messy, and empty, bed. The walls were beige, along with the carpet. The bed had orange covers. Avery turned to Wheatley.

"She's not here." Avery said. "She's probably delivering bread or something. I'm gonna get some breakfast. Don't burn down this bakery, okay?"

About half an hour later, Avery returned.


	13. Chapter 12

"I haven't seen her, got any ideas?" Avery asked.

"No, now what do we do? Chell's gone, without so much as a note!" Wheatley replied.

"Don't be like that, we'll find her."

"How?"

"Not sure. I just know she's left- at least,- something."

Avery started exploring the small bakery, scouring every nook and cranny until she picked up a note left on Chell's bed.

"_Dear Wheatley,_

_I'm going back. She will continue to find subjects, and that would put too many in danger. I can't let her torture others, like she did to me. I'm shutting her down, once and for all. Don't come back to help, I'll do this myself. You and the girl will be safe, and that's all that matters. Please, I want you to be safe._

_Chell_"

Avery put her had to her mouth.

"Oh God, she went back. She went back to-"

"Avery?" Wheatley asked.

Avery dropped the note, jumping back slightly, and locked her fear-filled bronze eyes on Wheatley's questioning blue eyes. She pointed to the note.

"She went back to Aperture. We have to go help her get out of there! She could die!"

"What? How could she even go ba- Nevermind, let's go."

[]()-()[]

As they began to walk back to Aperture, Avery noticed a small, abandoned garage. Interested, she wandered inside. The garage was filled with rusted mechanical parts, old wires, and other odds and ends Avery couldn't identify. She started picking up objects left and right, until she almost fell over from the weight of the materials. She spread the items out on a small workbench she found. Quickly, almost as if she didn't even look at the materials, she assembled them into two makeshift pairs of long fall boots. Avery took off her well-worn sneakers, and put on the boots.

"What are you doing?" Wheatley asked.

Avery laughed, "What I do best!" she handed Wheatley a pair. "Put these on, okay?" She continued to work on something else.

"Alright! But, where did you learn to work like this?"

"I used to work down in manufacturing, before The Incident."

"Bring Your Daughter To Work Day?"

"Yep. Studied the bots as they worked, taught me plenty of little tricks. I even learned how to make cores from the bots!"

Avery put on a pair of goggles made of leather, metal, and glass. She smiled as she discovered they fit perfectly. She continued working, finally finishing her projects. The last thing she'd made was an extendible rod, with an electric end, that could be turned on and off.

"That's for what, exactly?" Wheatley watched as the electric sparks danced on the tip of her rod.

"Going to override GLaDOS' mainframe, she has to be off for the process, this is to get her off. I'm going to finally remove that virus from her!"

With her somewhat Steampunk items, Avery and Wheatley continued to walk towards Aperture.


End file.
